About

How To Be American

The American stories we share are not in your standard history book.

How To Be American examines the history you ‘thought’ you knew and shares the stories of the immigrants, migrants, and refugees who’ve helped shape the story of America.

Series Description

On the Tenement Museum’s first ever podcast series — “How to Be American” — the Tenement Museum explores how the notion of “being American” has evolved, in leaps and bounds and glacially-slow shifts, over the course of our nation’s history. We’ll dig deep into the past to learn about the struggles, triumphs and oft-colliding cultures of immigrants to New York City’s fabled Lower East Side, and chat with preeminent historians, chefs and more to help connect the dots to the present day.

For some of us, asking how we fit in to America is part of a daily struggle to survive. For others, it’s a nearly non-existent question. But no matter whether your family has lived in America for six generations or six weeks, “How to be American” will make you reconsider what it means to be American.

Season 2 Host

Amanda Adler Brennan, a New York native, and descendant of late 19th century Lower East Side Immigrants, first joined the Museum back in 2010. After a brief relocation to Miami, she has happily returned to New York and to the Tenement Museum. With former host Brendan Murphy’s departure, Amanda is thrilled to step in as the new host of the How To Be American podcast (HTBA). For an inside look at what we’re working on,  follow my podcast journey on Twitter @amandalistens.

Season 1 Host

Brendan Murphy, an Education Manager at the Tenement Museum. Brendan hails from the misty Pacific Northwest, but has been in New York for a decade. He has been sharing the stories of immigrants, migrants, and refugees to Manhattan’s Lower East Side for the past seven years, engaging in conversations with visitors from across generations and across the globe. He holds a BA in Theatre from Western Washington University and an MA in American Studies from the CUNY Graduate Center. Coming from a theatre background, he has always believed in the power of stories. He is excited to be a part of this podcast, sharing these stories well beyond the boundaries of the Lower East Side and engage in a larger national conversation about what it means to be an American.

Season 1
Season 2

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